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"No! No!" Dropping her pad and pencil, Luz scrambled across the floor, preparing to throw herself through the living room door. "King, Hooty, it's happening again!"
Behind her, her mentor and adopted mother, lunged after, lost in her Owlbest form, as she gave chase to the only other person in the room. Its large, black eyes narrowed on her, following the bright colors of her hoodie. Drawing closer, she prepared to grab her, refusing to let her get away.
"Eda!" Luz pressed herself against the wall she found herself cornered in. Eyes wide and heart pounding, she shouted. "It's me!"
Giving a sharp sniff and bending down, Eda let outa hiss. Black eyes staring ahead, meeting the terrified gaze of King, Owlbast stepped forward, grasping Luz by the back of her hoodie. Lifting her up, she purred, trying to calm her racing heart.
"No! No! No! NO!" She wiggled, trying to escape. Reaching a desperate hand out, the fourteen-year-old strained to grab onto King's outstretched hand as Hooty tugged on one of her pant legs, trying to pull her to safety. "Owlbert," she cried, seeing the flash of brown of her adopted mother's Palasmon. "Quick, go get Aunt Lily! She's training with Amity at Willow Screech!"
Owlbert, fluffing its feathers up, flew out through the open door, disappearing from sight, hoping to get help before it was too late.
Crooning, the Beast turned around, pulling Luz out of range of two helpers. "Please don't eat me," the teenager begged, desperation ringing in her voice. "Please don't eat me!" Hands flying to cover her face, she prepared to feel the hot breath of Eda on her neck. Instead, the teenager found herself placed in the center of her mentor's nest, the Owlbeast hovering over her.
Blinking one hazel-brown opened, the fourteen-year-old wondered if she would be able to sneak away. Would she be fast enough to escape the house before Owlbeast could catch her? Or would that just anger her adopted mother?
As she was prepared to take a step forward, she felt a rush of weight fall onto her. Breath rushing out of her chest, Luz found herself crushed against the nest and Eda's fluffy chest against her neck and head, trapping her beneath her.
"King," she wheezed, trying to wiggle to make some room. "Help," she gasped, chest starting to burn. "Get Eda off of me."
"Stay still," the small canine demon said as he began to follow the wall to the side of the nest. "Let me see if I can get her off of you. If I can, try to make a break for it, Luz."
"What is she doing?" the human apprentice prodded, face beginning to grow hot. "Is she trying to crush me to death?"
"From what I can remember, what Eda is doing is called brooding," he explained, pressing himself underneath a pile of junk from the Human Realm."
She blanched, straining to look at him."What?"
"She thinks your her baby egg," King supplied, not daring to move from his hiding spot. The Owlbeast had noticed movement on the outer rim of her kingdom. Thinking it was a threat to her chick, she nudged Luz further underneath her, acting as a shield. "So like her Owlet."
Luz's face grew warm. She knew that her adopted mother cared about her but never thought it would be powerful enough to translate into her Owlbeast form. Most things were lost to her wilder side. she didn't even recognize King or her own sister when the curse took over.
As King was going to move from his hiding place, a flash of white flew in and her aunt and apprentice stepped off her staff. Drawing a circle, Lilith wrapped Eda in a bubble, allowing Luz to scramble away, falling into the protective hold of Lilith. "She sat on me," she panted, standing shakily on her legs. "King thought she may see me as her baby egg or something like that?"
"Well, Edalyn has shown and proclaimed that you are her dumb kid," her older sister teased as she moved over to where the Elixars were stored. Opening the cabinet, she pulled out one of the bright green ones, Compared to the golden-amber ones, this one was of higher dosage and only given to high-ranking coven members like Lilith. "But we will find answers in a few moments," Lilith promised, wasting no time to force the bottle into the Owlbeast's mouth.
"Stay close to me," Amity said, pulling the teenager close to her, golden eyes focused on where her friend's mother began to stir, feathers falling to the bottom of her nest. "Can't be too careful, Mea."
"I know," Luz said, eyes watching as Eda slowly rose from her nest, getting assistance from her older sister. "Mama?"
Balancing against the edge of the nest, the wild witch looked at her adopted daughter. "Did I hurt you, kiddo?" she asked, duo-colored eyes scanning her up and down. "Any bruises or scrapes?"
"You thought I was an Owl," the human teenager explained, embracing her adopted mother. "You tried to sit on me."
"Not even going to ask," Eda hummed, holding her close.